Moorlands Development Plan

Despite significant urban growth on the fringes of Bunbury, Moorlands has until recently, remained as a distinctive rural enclave within close proximity to the Bunbury City Centre. Bordered on two sides by the Preston River, the land has had major constraints in relation to the floodplain and a degraded oxbow lake system contained within the site.

Following extensive negotiation with the Department of Environmental Protection and the Water and Rivers Commission a plan was developed that both enhanced natural assets of the site and led to the creation of a very attractive and exclusive living environment.

As a requirement of the DEP most of the wetlands were not to receive stormwater run-off. This produced a major challenge for TME engineers and culminated in the use of a “Total Treatment Train” philosophy which is designed to compliment the landscaped areas surrounding the developed areas.

Due to the unique location of the site, future inhabitants will have the benefit of being entirely surrounded by open space enhanced with landscaping, dual use paths and rehabilitated wetlands. No dwelling will be more than 200 metres from open space areas and around 50% of the dwellings will have an outlook over open space related to the Preston River or wetland areas. The main objective of the development plan has been to create a residential enclave that uses the natural constraints of the site to its advantage. The plan eventuates in a distinctive residential village of about 350 dwellings within a rural setting, only ten minutes drive from the centre of Bunbury.